<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
  .outer {
    text-decoration: underline;
    position: absolute;
  }
  .outer+.outer {
    color: green;
  }
  .inner {
    vertical-align: 1em;
  }
  .outer+.outer>.inner {
    position: relative;
    top: 1em;
  }
</style>
</head>
<body>
  <span class="outer"><span class="inner">x</span></span>
  <span class="outer"><span class="inner">x</span></span>
</body>
</html>
